Art immersion.

I went exploring with The Kiddo and some friends the other day. We came across a couple of elephant statues left over from a sculptures-on-parade event that took place years ago. They seem sort of forgotten now, ‘tho they still add some visual interest to the street where they’ve been put out to pasture.

When they first came out, I remember wanting to get out to see all of the animal statues. There was a map to follow and you could tick off each site in a nice, neat organized fashion. I efficiently made the rounds, and as I recall, put a pretty good dent in the list. But I’d be hard-pressed to remember much of the artistic experience I had.

Anyway, the other day, we were all gathered around the elephant statues, taking them in. The Kiddo and his friend, who were a little lower to the ground than us grown folks, examined one of the beasts and exclaimed “there’s a hole under here!”

And before we knew it, the kids had gotten all swallowed up in the art.

So, as I’ve mentioned here before, I made a New Year’s resolution not to buy any books this year until I’ve read the books I already have. I’ve done pretty well sticking to that plan, although I still haven’t made my way through “Lipstick Traces.” But the doing without a constant stream of Amazon boxes has got me thinking.

Every time I think I *need* a book it’s because I think it will somehow alter my life in some amazing way. Sometimes that happens (see Patti Smith’s “Just Kids”). Other times, not so much (see Bez’s “Freaky Dancin’: Me and the Mondays”). The books keep piling up, and life pretty much keeps rolling along.

With the book habit off limits, my life-improvement habit might have turned to another passion — food. I’ve tried a variety of healthy eating plans with weird limitations or wacky ingredients, and none of them have ever stuck. But somehow, the bread-making hobby we started a while back has rubbed off on us all and we’ve been generally eating in a healthier, manageable way. (Generally! Please do not tote up the calories we consumed at Smorgasburg. And I didn’t even tell you about the eggs mayonnaise we had at Reynard!)

Before food, there was the craft-supply habit. There’s always some new tool that promises to be a game-changer or some great deal on a bag of assorted geegaws that are bound to come in handy. But there came a day when I realized that just trying to sort through and find the supplies for a new project was so exhausting that I didn’t even want to make anything. So I did a major de-stash and have been keeping all that pretty much in-check.

As I was pulling my Spring clothes out of storage the other day it occurred to me that I have taken to “fixing” my life with clothes of late. We all know that everything will fall into place if we find that one perfect jacket or pair of shoes. Right? But I’m afraid my poor closet will explode before I find that magic article, so I am making a late-year resolution to only buy something new when something old wears out.

In the meantime, I’m hoping the time I save hunting down various life-changing items can be put to better use actually doing something life-changing. Or maybe I’ll just spend it making another batch of tortillas.

Bringing home the gold!

The Mister and I are just back from a delightful trip to NYC. We attended Lebowski Fest, where, I am proud to report, The Mister won Best Walter in the costume contest and bowled against the other “Bests” to claim Best of Fest honors. Word is we may take things to Louisville next.

A fabulous festival of foods awaits you at Smorgasburg.

While we were in town, a friend suggested we take a jaunt to Williamsburg to check out Smorgasburg. At East RiverState Park (the site of the Brooklyn Flea market) this assembly of hip food vendors gathers at to offer their wares to hungry foodies. The description made me think of the food stands at Rochester’s Public Market on a grander scale, so of course I was enthusiastic.

We arrived just a little after opening at 11:00. Although the crowds had yet to build, the only coffee stand, Blue Bottle Coffee Company, already had a healthy line of folks waiting for their individually-brewed cups. So we started our rounds with an order of spicy pigs in a blanket from Brooklyn Piggies. These little sausages were wrapped in croissant-like blankets and they were spicy enough to give me hiccups. That gave The Mister dibs on the last serving – lucky guy!

The Pizza Moto folks built their mobile pizza oven out of an old army truck and it does the job nicely. The crust was thin, chewy, and foldable and the toppings were fresh and flavorful. Word is they’re soon opening a restaurant as well – hope we’ll get a chance to visit on our next trip.

Landhaus served up thick, candied Maple Bacon on a stick. What more can I say about that except yum?

We tried the tiniest bite of salty caramel apple salt water taffy at Salty Road’s stand and were blown away by the subtle sweetness and the staying power of the salt.

The jerky at Kings County Jerky was meaty and flavorful. We especially liked the Korean BBQ flavor.

Tiny Filipino-inspired spring rolls from Lumpia Shack were full of surprises. We tried a sampler and the Peking duck was the winner — pulled roasted duck with hoisin, sriracha and ginger scallion sauce. The vegetarian truffled adobo mushroom rolls were a close runner-up.

Sadly, one of my favorite foodstuffs turned against me during our visit to Smorgasburg. I couldn’t pass up an order of fried anchovies from Bon Chovie. Unfortunately, I only have experience with the salty jarred variety which tends to be much less boney. I foolishly started chomping away on my first fish and promptly wound up with a nasty bone lodged in my throat. Yikes! After I recovered, I tried to approach the fish more like a cartoon cat, leaving the skeleton intact. Much better!

My favorite item was the bite-sized miso brownies we bought from Kyotofu: Modern Japanese Dessert. They were dark and fudgy and not overly sweet. Topped with sesame seeds, these tiny morsels could go down in a bite or two, but they were worth lingering over. We also sampled their green tea muffins which were delightful.

There were so many more things that we wanted to try, but alas, we could only manage so much. Next time, we get the Schnitzel!

As I’ve mentioned before, we’ve been making a lot of bread around here. We’re still amazed by the simple process: Four ingredients (flour, water, yeast, and salt) and five minutes of kneading. A bowl for the dough to rise in, a pan to bake the loaf in. It couldn’t be easier.

But as with every new endeavor, we’ve been looking at ways to improve the process. Not the recipe we learned from the Bread Man, because that seems to work up perfectly every time. But those bits before and after, they could use some tweaking, right?

We started with a big cupboard overhaul to get all our ingredients organized and easy to reach. We put in some shelf reinforcements to help hold the displaced containers and cleared out a nice easy-to-reach spot for the bread making stuff.

Then we decided that we needed some new containers for the various flours. So we hunted down the best options for size and purpose. And then we needed a container to hold all of those new containers. Now we have a handy bread-baking box that’s easy to grab when the baking mood strikes.

With everything tweaked on the front end, we turned to post-baking. How to store our bread? The folks at Niblack had some handy loaf-sized bags, so we snatched up a batch. But with all the baking we’ve been doing we’ve been burning through our supply pretty quickly. So we started the research process all over again to find some sort of reusable storage receptacle for our loaves.

I discovered that the Progressive International Adjustable Bread Keeper gets high marks from reviewers. I shared the Amazon link with The Mister, but he was quick to point out that it wouldn’t fit inside our bread box.

…

Bread box? Was it possible we could just put our uncovered loaves in that old thing? This stroke of insight lead to more research. I quickly discovered that the folks at eHow claim it’s entirely possible to store your bread in your bread box.

Who knew it could be that easy?

Now all I need is a good ice cube recipe …

We had a good smattering of fun pranks around here on April Fool’s Day this year. The Kiddo served up frozen cereal for breakfast in bed, and stopped up the shampoo so it wouldn’t dispense in the shower. But best of all was our “doctor’s visit” that turned into a trip to Read’s Ice Cream in Henrietta.

Read’s makes up a batch of novelty ice cream each April 1^st. Despite our recent unpleasant experience with corned beef and cabbage as frozen desert, we decided to give Read’s “Let’s Go To The Movies” flavor a try.

The folks at Read’s took all the great movie theater treats — popcorn, Junior Mints, SweeTARTS, and nachos — and mixed them into vanilla ice cream. Somehow, despite the pretty generously-sized free scoops we received, we missed out on the popcorn, but we had plenty of nachos and they were pretty darn tasty. The candies mixed in just fine, too. As far as novelty ice cream flavors go, this was a winner.

I’m kind of bummed we missed 2011’s flavor — “School House Lunch” which was tomato soup-based ice cream with bits of toasted cheese sandwich and tater tots. But we’ll keep Read’s on the April Fool’s Day roster for the future.

All accessorized and ready to press.

Another item crossed off the culinary to-do list.

Well, it finally happened — I made tortillas for the first time over the weekend! I was inspired to give this a go when I read Alana Chernila’s “The Homemeade Pantry” last spring.

I hustled to pick up a tortilla press, and … that press has been sitting in the cupboard since last May, still in its box waiting for the proper conditions. Earlier this month, I declared March 24 “Tortilla Day” and prepared to get to work.

The Mister had already hunted down a bag of masa harina, and the only other ingredient I needed was water. It turns out that I had already honed the skills required to give tortilla making a try during all those hours I spent with my Play-Doh Fun Factory as a kid. It’s basically some kneading and rolling and then the pressing and frying. (Well the frying isn’t really part of the Fun Factory experience, but the rest is pretty close.)

Although I am sure there are those who are much more graceful with their efforts and produce far more magical tortillas than mine, I am happy to report that both The Mister and The Kiddo appreciated my efforts.

To accompany my tortillas, The Mister brewed up some pork in the crockpot with a little Genesee beer and a little chinotto. We’ve had a chinotto stash in the garage fridge ever since we went on a tour of ethnic markets with my father and step-mother.

We’d never seen chinotto before, and figured we’d give it a try. It tastes sort of like tobacco-flavored soda, if you ask me. Wikipedia says it’s actually “produced from the juice of the fruit of the myrtle-leaved orange tree.” My folks claimed to like it, but we’ve only managed to reduce our inventory by sneaking it into various crockpot efforts. There has been some discussion of using it to make ice cream floats, but so far that’s only been a threat.

We had a lot better luck reducing the tortilla supply. Which means I’ll be making my second batch to go along with the leftovers tonight!

Over the St. Patrick’s Day weekend, The Mister and I had occasion to sample a variety of odd foodstuffs. In the interest of science, we said yes to each opportunity. In the interest of saving your taste buds, I’ll share our thoughts.

Truffle in Paradise

On Saturday, we meandered over to our favorite gourmet chocolatier Hedonist Artisan Chocolates (and Ice Cream) to stock up on some Easter goodies. The staff was doling out seasonal treats for those wearing green and we both made the grade. On the chocolate side of the business, that meant a complimentary corned beef and cabbage truffle.

Verdict: This was one weird treat! The ingredients were top-notch as is Hedonist’s way, but the sensation of waves of chocolate mixed with hits of cabbage and a finish of chewy beef bites was pretty bizarre.

Afterward, we bought a couple of dark chocolate salted caramels that were delightful, as expected.

Cold Comfort

Next, we were off to the ice cream side of Hedonist to stock up on a pint of mint with cacao nibs for The Kiddo. (Also absolutely delicious – a mint tea vibe to the base flecked with crunchy cacao bits. Yum!) Our wearing-of-the-green paid off here as well, and the staffer scooped us up some corned beef and cabbage ice cream.

Verdict: I must admit I couldn’t handle cabbage ice cream, even in a sample size. One tiny taste was more than enough for me. The Mister was braver, but I don’t know if he’s any happier about that. He tells me that the caraway seeds were both the genius and the downfall of this delicacy. Chewing them prolonged the flavor, which was pretty much the last thing you wanted. But caraway seeds in some non-cabbage ice cream could be interesting.  Or maybe just some kimmelweck jimmies?

Bugging Out

On Sunday, we trekked out to the Buffalo Museum of Science to check out their Insect Weekend. We got to hold a millipede and pet a tarantula, among other buggy fun. But I was most interested in the museum’s offer to “Help us start a new Buffalo snack sensation by sampling our Cheese and BBQ flavored bugs.”

Previously, I had sampled some stale snack bugs from the Genesee Country Village gift shop, and some others left out too long in the Louisiana humidity at the Audubon Butterfly and Insectarium, so this time I was hoping for something a trifle tastier.

Verdict: The bugs were the best free treat of the weekend! The museum aide was stocked up with a fresh case of Larvets. I tried the nacho cheese and found the bug’s texture pleasant. The Mister likened it to that of a popcorn hull. Overall, not bad.

The nacho cheese seasoning that the Larvets folks use is a little on the low-end side. I think they could get creative with their flavors and maybe drum up a little more interest in the product. I bet curry or sriracha Larvets would develop a following. I know I’d give them a try!

Bert Greene was a natty dresser and no slouch as a food writer.

If you’re looking for bran muffins fit for an heiress, Bert Greene’s got you covered.

My father gave me my first Bert Greene cookbook, “Greene on Greens,” back in the mid-eighties. I’m pretty sure this was the result of his forgetting to send in the postcard rejecting his book club’s selection of the month, but my dad isn’t one to look a “gift” book in the mouth, so he passed it along to me.

Even as a youth, I knew this book was something special. It’s not just the butter and bacon fat that Greene slathers on everything. And it’s not only the amazing breadth of vegetables covered — from artichokes to zucchini with fennel, kohlrabi, and rutabagas in-between —  you name it, Greene has a brilliant preparation.

All this is enough for a good cookbook, but Greene’s stories are what make this a great cookbook. Greene thoughtfully expounds on how the French writer Colette inspired his love of provincial cookery, among other things, in the celery chapter. He tells a sweet story about introducing his mother to the avocado. All the while, he is chatty and entertaining and incredibly knowledgeable about how to make everything taste good.

One of my favorite recipes in “Greene on Greens” is his Tomato Devil’s Food Cake with Tomato Butter Cream Frosting. I’m always drawn to unusual combinations and the tomatoes lend a subtle and mysterious sweetness to this dessert.

Great Grains

I found Greene’s “The Grains Cookbook” years later in a used bookshop, and it’s just as entertaining. Published just after Green passed away in 1988, it opens with memories of Greene from the likes of Julia Child and M.F.K .Fisher.

I’ve been leafing through this book lately, and the Kiddo actually asked me to read him the chapter on barley the other night. It was informative and full of great stories and tasty-sounding recipes. I was inspired to try my hand at making Chollent, a pot roast with beans and barley, and everyone around here seemed to enjoy the results.

I was inspired to share my love of Greene with you all when I cracked open the bran chapter and was treated to Bert’s tale of his pursuit of the “madcap heiress” and bran enthusiast Peggy Guggenheim. He sums up their post-WWII parting thusly: “My involvement with Peggy was short and sweet, terminated by mutual disinterest. And her decision to leave America once the armistice was signed to open a new gallery in Venice – Palazzo Venier dei Leoni.”

As a parting gift, Guggenheim had planned to leave Greene a large Jackson Pollock painting. Greene was horrified at the thought because he “never truly appreciated Pollock’s style (and he was far from famous at the time).” So he suggested she send along a dozen oxford-cloth Brooks Brothers shirts instead.

His offering to Guggenheim? Six dozen bran muffins for her journey.

Kitchen Credentials

In the 60s and 70s, Greene ran one of the first gourmet takeout stores in the country. “The Store” in Amagansett supplied salads, pates, and mousses for summer parties, and inspired Greene’s first cookbook. He went on to write several more cookbooks as well as a syndicated food column that was later collected in a book.

Greene didn’t write only about food – he was also a playwright. He adapted “The Trial” by Franz Kafka, “Daisy Miller” by Henry James, and “My Mother`s House” by Colette into theatrical productions.

The International Association of Culinary Professionals continues to celebrate Greene’s legacy of great writing and great recipes with the annual Bert Greene Awards for food journalism.

Greene’s books are out of print, but you can still find used copies pretty easily. If you’re looking for a good read and a steady kitchen companion, I’d recommend giving Bert a try.

There is something special about a sandwich someone else makes for you. Even if they use the same old ingredients you have on hand, the sandwich somehow winds up tastier. Especially when that sandwich is made with love.

Rochester has plenty of good sandwich joints. DiBella’s is a mainstay, Barber’s Grill and Tap Room in Brockport has their legendary “Balboa,” and Open Face has their own unique take on the classics.

But if you’re looking for a sandwich made with love, you need to head on out to Calabresella’s on Buffalo Rd. in Gates.

The Mister and I knew we had to check the joint out when we heard they had a sandwich called the “Colon Kicker.” The Mister gave this grilled cappy and steak number a go and we’ve been hooked ever since!

Calabresella’s is a family-run operation with a casual dining area on one side of the building where you can pick a cold soda from the cooler. On the other side is the deli — packed with cases of meats and cheeses, and shelves full of all varieties of ethnic foodstuffs on the other.

After we order our sandwiches at the counter, we like to browse the grocery offerings — there’s always something tasty to try out. We’ve enjoyed tinned beans in tomato sauce and stocked up on a couple of other unfamiliar items, but I especially have my eye on a big, pretty jar of anchovies.

The staff is friendly and obviously takes pride in the food they prepare. This is the kind of place where they recognize return customers and welcome you with a warm greeting.

And the food? We haven’t had anything that wasn’t top-notch. We went for the Italian assorted on our last visit, and it was great. Sitting at the table, as the staff brings each new sandwich out to your fellow diners, you can’t help but plan future visits. Next time, I’ve gotta try the meatballs.

And that’s not all! If you’re a Rochester transplant and you’re craving Zweigles hot dogs, Country Sweet wing sauce, or your favorite locally-produced meat hot sauce, Calabresella’s NewYorkStyleDeli.com can hook you up. Believe it or not, they’ll even ship Abbott’s Custard.

OK, I have a quick confession to make. I have technically broken my New Year’s resolution not to buy any books. I am not calling it a full-on break because the book I bought is definitely not for pleasure.

So, I don’t feel totally guilty about this purchase because A.) I need it to bone up on some work-related stuff. B.) I bought a used copy. And, C.) I am making myself work through it a little every day so it won’t sit gathering dust on the shelf.

Whew! Now that that’s out of the way, I’ll fill you in on some of the more enjoyable reading I’ve been doing.

“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” by Ransom Riggs

This book was on my radar, but when The Kiddo started reading it at school and felt the need to fill me in on bits and pieces, I had to move it to the top of my list or risk an unwanted trip to Spoiler City.

The story centers on a teenage boy’s adventures as he travels to visit the Welsh island where his grandfather grew up. The author sprinkles his narrative with vintage photos that depict the various “peculiar children” and their special abilities, adding another dimension to the storytelling. With supernatural and mystery elements, this was a thrilling read.

The Kiddo and I read some of this book together and raced each other to read the rest. When it was over, I really missed being wrapped up in the unusual world the author created. Happily, it seems Riggs is working on a sequel.

There was some “salty” language in this book, especially for a fourth grader. But it is about a teenage boy, so that’s pretty much to be expected. The Kiddo was so caught up by the story, I think the language took a back seat, although it didn’t go unnoticed. Anyway, it hasn’t seemed to have a negative impact on his vocabulary. But, for parents concerned about such things, you might want to give it a read yourself before passing it on to your own youngsters.

“Notes from the Underwire” by Quinn Cummings

A good friend of mine gave me this book for a birthday present. It’s a collection of essays about the life of the author and covers a good range of experiences including motherhood, the curse of being helpful, and the unique trials of being forever labeled “a former child actor.”

I really enjoyed this book. Cummings is relatable, entertaining, and insightful. I especially like her technique for handling chronic complaining from her young daughter.

It breaks down like this: If something is truly painful, the kid has free reign to complain. If it’s only uncomfortable, or has already been complained about, she must present her complaint in “an entertaining fashion.” And she can’t use the same complaint twice. Now that’s the kind of parenting tip I like!

Next up

The Kiddo and I are reading Blue Baillett’s “Chasing Vermeer.” This is the first book in her series about a trio of incredibly unique and interesting Chicago tweens who have a penchant for falling into mysteries and uncovering schemes.

Baillett peppers her stories with references to other books, discussions about art, codes to break, and the possibilities that arise when coincidences are taken seriously.

These are the kinds of stories that leave you with a list of new things to explore. We already have plans to make a set of pentominoes and a hold request in for a collection of Charles Fort’s work, and we’re only a quarter of the way through the book!

Meanwhile, I am finally planning to hunker down and read “Ascending Peculiarity: Edward Gorey on Edward Gorey.” I’ve long been a fan of this darkly humorous author, and have meant to read this book for ages.

Gorey keeps popping up in other things I’ve read — a quick cameo in a Patti Smith book, a discussion of his relationship with Frank O’Hara in a collection of poems I was perusing, even a Google Doodle salute the other day. I’m looking forward to the opportunity get to know Gorey better.